Internal-combustion engine.



PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906.

S N. RAPP.- INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 29,1906.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 1- (NVENTOR.

WITNES$ES:

- A TTORNE Y5 INo.-837,507. PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906.

s. N. RAPP.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLI OA'IEION FILED MAR.29.1905.

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A TTORNE VS No. 8 37,507. PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906, s. N. RAPP. lNTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED 1.29. 1905.

WITNESSES. ks fifi/NVE/VTOR.

/ A TTORNEYS 3 SHEETS-SHEET fl- Tan STATES P TENT: onrion.

SAMUEL N1 RAPP, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN. AsSIGNOR or THREE-FOURTH To ALVIN s. CLARK, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN. I

Specification of Letters Paten Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

Application filedMarch 29,1905- Serial lie-252,620.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it, known that I, SAMUEL N. RAPP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, W'ayne county, Michigan, have invented certain new and-useful Improvements in lnternal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a full, tion. p

My invention relates to improvements in clear, and exact descrip internal-combustion engines of the hydrocarbon type.

The object of the i vention is to provide a si ple, inexpensive, and effective construction. x r

The principle of operation is applicable either to the so-called two-cycle or .fourcycle type; but, as'shdwn in the accom anying drawings and as described in the ollowing specification, it corresponds in operation to the two-cycle type in that there is no intermediate exhaust-st 'okee While the invention may be applied to a single-acting engine, in the form shown it is 'double-actin y I It should i6 understood that I have set forth only the preferred embodiment of the invention and that it may be modified in a variety of ways without departing from the see e and spirit thereof.

the accompanying drawings, Figure 1. 1s aside elevation of the engine. Fig. 2 is a similar view with thefly-wheel shaft. and the associated parts detached and with one side late removed. ..Fig 3 is a section on the line 52 X, Fi 1. Fig. 4 is a loigitudinal section on the p ane of theline Y Fig. Fig. 5 is an end view of the piston and piston-supporting hub detachhd. Fig. 6 is a side elevation'thereof.

1 is the engine-frame. 2 is a fiy-wheel shaft. 4.is a connecting-rod. 5 is an oscillating crank-arm carr ed by shaft 6.

7 is a hub within which the shaft is suitably seeured, as by a key. This hub 1Il operation partakes of an oscillating motion and finds its bearingin the part 8 of the engine- 3 is a crank thereon.

.body. Within the interior of thisbody is a curved or cored-out space constituting the "combustion chamb r or chambers.

9'is an element w iich corres ends in function to" that 01 a piston and.,w ch-will herepartakes of an oscillating motion in a part of the space constituting the combustmn-chamber. of thecombustion-chamber. In the particular form shown the piston divides this space into two combustion-chanibers, into either or both of which gas may be admitted, as hereinafter explained. The opposite side walls of the body 8 are cut away to a suflicient extent to afford working spaces for the opposite ed es of the oscillating piston 9. At each end of the hub 7 is a plate, said plates being indicated by 10 10 These plates take a bearing against the fiat wall of each side of the body 8 and cover the aforesaid working spaces. The side edges of the piston 9 project through said spaces and slightly into'said plates, as best seen in Fig. 3, so that as said piston 9 oscillates the plates will oscillate/simultaneously, the entire body, the hub, the piston, and the plates 10 10 moving as one ody. The plates-themselves may be fastened securely to the ends of the hub, forsxam le, by means of screws 11 mm the foregoing it will be seen that as the piston 9 oscillates a similar motion will be imparted to the oscillating crank-arm 5, and

through the medium of theconneeting-rod 4 and crank 3 the fly-wheel shaft 2 will be rotated.

I will now describe the means for admitting gas and exhausting the burned charge.

12 12 are inlet-valves. In the particular form shown said valves are, of the puppet type and are arranged in the head of the engine in communication with the gas-chamber 13, into which a supply of gas may be led from any suitable source. 14 14 are the exhaustvalves, which respectively control the exhaust of the burned gases on opposite sides 'of the piston 9. 15 15 are spark-plugs ar- This piston always forms one end wall 7 ranged for the respective combustion-charnbers. 16 is a cam on shaft 2. 17 is a roller arranged to be operated by the cam 16. This roller is carried by the rod 18, which leads back to the exhaust-valve 14, so that when said cam engages said roller said valve will be opened. 17 is a roller, also carried by rod 18 and arranged in the path of movement in the cam -16, so that when the latter engages it the rod 18 will be shifted, causing the exhaust-valve 14 to open. .The exhaust valves .14 1,4,- are -normally closed. by means packing-rings may be provided wherever desired, or the parts may be so accurately fitted as to obviate the necessity ofthe same, In the particular form shown I have caused the piston 9 to be spring-pressed at its inner end, so as to force its extreme edge against the circular wall atthe opposite side of the cham- -These plates are secured to the stationary part of the engine-body by means of bolts or screws 21.

If desired, the engine may be cooled by water, which may be let in through a pipe 22 to the space between the covers late 19 and the end plate 10. It may. then ow through the passages 7 7 in the hub 7 to the other side of the engine and into the space between the coverlate .19 andthe end plate 10 thence out t ough the water-pipe 22 The heat of the engine may be utilized as an aid in the generating of the gas just prior to the entrance of the same into the combustion-chambers. As the gas enters the gaschamber 13 it is warmed, and hence when it asses through the inlet-valves into the com-- ustion-chambers it is in a better condition to ignite. Further than this, should an excess of gasolene flow through the carburetor or mixer and enter said gas-chamber 13 the heat therein will cause it to volatilize all the more readily than would otherwise be the case.

I have not attemptedto illustrate or describe the circuit for causing the'igniting spark, since such circuits; are well understood, it being merely sufficient to say that any ordinary circuit suitable for operating spark-plugs and preferably whereby the spark may b employed.

While, as stated, Ihave shown my inven tion in a form corresponding somewhat in operation to the two-cycle type of gas-engine, it requires merely the addition of the wellknown cam-shaft running at a speed of two to one relatively to the fly-wheel shaft in order to transform the engine into one which operates after the order :of the so-called four-cycle engine. Such a modification would be so obvious to a mechanic skilled in the art as to require no illustration.

The operation of the engine in the particular form shown is as follows: The piston 9 is in the middle position, and it may be assumed that it is moving to the right. The exhaust-valve 14 is open, and the'inert gases are being exhausted. When the piston has parted to the crank.

e advanced or retarded, may be vtions alternately.

moved to the right slightl beyond the position shown in Fig. 4, the exhaust-valve closes, and for the balance of the stroke as will be drawn in through the valve 12. en the piston has reached the limit of its excursion to the right, ignition occurs in the right-hand combustion-chamber and power is applied to the piston 9, driving it back to the left."

This power-stroke lasts for about one-third of the full stroke of the piston, when the exhaust-valve 14 is opened and theinertcombustion-chamber on the left-hand side of the piston 9 will be compressed and ignited when the piston reaches t e limit of its excursion to the left. Power will then be applied to move the piston to the right-say one third of its stroke-and so on. During the stroke to the right of course the gas contained in the combustion-chamber, on the right of the piston is compressed by the full stroke of the piston. Bythis arrangement a short vigorous pqwer-stroke isimplarted to each side of the piston on each str'o e. The compression, however, on the op osite side of the piston occurs during the ful stroke.

It will be observed that the, piston operates after the manner of 'a' lever, and the length of the same from the axis-of oscillation is such that great y lengthening or shortening the latter, the said leverage may be varied at will, so that it ma be easily ascertained which length of cra will give the most satisfactory results. Thisdescribes the operation of the engine when sin le-acting; but, as shown in the drawings, t e engine may be double-acting: Hence the valves 12 and 14 and the 'igniter 15 will operate alter.- nately with the corresponding elements on the other side, thus imparting to the piston a powerful impulse at each of its extreme posi- What I claim is 1.' In an engine of the mternjal-combustion. type, a combustion-chamber, an oscillating piston formin one'of the walls thereof, an

ofpposlte oscillating en plate at each of the side edges of sa1d'piston,-said lates rming part of the side walls of' sai combustionchamber, an inlet-valve and an exhaustvalve, and means connected-with said piston for the transmission of-power. J v

2. In an internal-combustion engine, a bbdy provided with a curved combustionchamber, an oscillat' piston formi'ng'one end wall of said cham er, a working space for the piston inone side of said body, said piston projecting into said working space, an

the leftwhatever gas is contained in the ower may be imoscillating end late overstanding said work: ing space and c osing the same said end late engaging the piston and oscillating t ere-' into said Working space, an oscillating end plate overstanding said workin space and closing the same, a ortion of said pistonprojecting into said en late. I

4. In an interna -combustion engine, a body provided with a curved combustionchamber, an oscillating piston forming one end Wall of said chamber, a working space in one side of said body, said piston rojectin into said Working space, an oscil ating en plate overstanding said clearanceassage and closing the same, a portion of sai piston projecting into said end late, a shaft coincident with the axis of osci lation of said piston and driven thereby, and a cover-plate rigidly secured to the engine-body and spaced apart from said end plate.

5. In an internal-combustion engine, a body provided with a curved combustionchamber, an oscillating piston forming one end wall of said chamber, a working space in one side of said body, said piston )rojecting into said working space, an oscil ating end plate overstanding said working space and closing the same, a portion of said piston projectin into said end late, a shaft coincident with t ie axis of oscil ation of saidiston and driven thereby, a cover-plate rigid y secured to the engine-body, and a bearing for said shaft, said bearing being carried by said coverlate.

6. 11 an engine of the internal-combustion type, a body, a curved conibnstion-chaniber therein, a )iston, a working space on each side of said ody, apiston in said combustionchamber dividing the same and projecting into said working space, oscillating plates carried by said piston and covering said working space.

7. In an engine of the internal-conibustion t pe, a body, a curved c0mbustion-chamber t erein, a iston, a working space on each side of said body, a piston in said combustion-chamber dividing the same and project ing into said working space, oscillating end plates carried by said piston and covering said working space, stationary cover-plates rigidly secured to opposite ends of said body and covering said end plates and shaft-bearings carried by each of said stationary e0ver plates.

8. In an engine of the internal-combustion type, a combustion-chamber, an oscillating piston formin one end wall thereof, an oscillating end pIate moving with said piston, a part of said plate forming part of the side wall of said cornbustion-chainber, an inletvalve and an exhaust-valve, and means connected with said piston for the transmission of power. f i

. SAMUEL N. RAPP.

Witnesses:

R. C. .MI-TOHELL, L. VREELAND. 

